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Passionate kissing is not a human universal

"The authors based their research on a set of 168 cultures compiled from eHRAF World Cultures (128 cultures) as well as the Standard Cross Cultural Sample (27 cultures) and by surveying 88 ethnographers (13 cultures). The report’s findings are intriguing: rather than an overwhelming popularity of romantic smooching, the global ethnographic evidence suggests that it is common in only 46% (77) of the cultures sampled. The remaining 54% (91) of cultures had no evidence of romantic kissing. In short, this new research concludes that romantic-sexual kissing is not as universal as we might presume.The report also reveals that romantic kissing is most common in the Middle East and Asia, and least common of all among Central American cultures. Similarly, the authors state that “no ethnographer working with Sub-Saharan African, New Guinea, or Amazonian foragers or horticulturalists reported having witnessed any occasion in which their study populations engaged in a romantic–sexual kiss”, whereas it is nearly ubiquitous in northern Asia and North America. "

These non-kissing cultures find the idea of kissing disgusting because of the sharing of saliva etc. Inter-course is not disgusting to them, but kissing is? Maybe they didn't ask women.

However, I have to say I'd take a good long hug from my favorite wife over a passionate kiss. One is about initiating sex (nothing wrong with that!) or something like it, the other is about a one-to-one connection through a full body contact that makes no demands.

His name is Francesco Hayez; despite the name, he was half French and half Italian. He's an Italian Romantic painter of the earlier parts of the 19th century.

I think "The Kiss" is his best work. I also like this one, though: La Ciociara. Ciociara is the area of Frosinone in the southern part of Lazio. The movie known to the Anglo world as "Two Women'", is known as "La Ciociara" in Italian.
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His name is Francesco Hayez; despite the name, he was half French and half Italian.

Ah, French-Italian. That is why his portrayal of a passionate, romantic kiss is so good then! I love the posture of the 2 lovers and how the mysterious man's fingers gently hold the woman's neck and face as he kisses her.

Ah, French-Italian. That is why his portrayal of a passionate, romantic kiss is so good then! I love the posture of the 2 lovers and how the mysterious man's fingers gently hold the woman's neck and face as he kisses her.

That's exactly what I love most about it. :) He's cupping the back of her head too. It's like a thirsty man drinking from a precious goblet.

Hayez must have been both a tender and a passionate man himself to pose his models that way.

Of course, the woman's posture is also artistically a wonderful choice, forming a sinuous line as it does, along with the vibrant color of her dress, and thus drawing your eyes to her above all else.